My mommy is an angel
by PrincessAletheia
Summary: Jack has a very bad day at school, but a new friend helps him to deal with the loss of his mom.
1. Chapter 1

_First of all, thanks to all the people who reviewed to my first story. It really means a lot to me._

_Here's my second story, this one focuses on Jack and his thoughts about Haley's "job"._

_Please review!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or Tinkerbell. But I do own Theresa, Stephen and Marie._

_Have fun!_

Jack sat on a swing at the school's playground, alone and fully lost in his thoughts. He didn't move, his feet barely touching the ground. His eyes seemed focused on the road that passed the school, but in reality he didn't see any of the things around him.

It was only when some children approached the playground that he slowly came back to where he was. The two girls and a boy were in his class, one of the girls was new, but Jack really couldn't remember her name. For the whole day there had been something stuck into his head and he couldn't figure out how to deal with it, but he was very sure not to want any company. He got off of the swing, ready to leave, when the boy called after him.

"Jack, don't you want to stay and play with us? It's not fun being all alone." Jack shrugged his shoulders. _Playing is silly. Playing is for babies._ His eyes were scanning the group, especially the new girl. _Don't talk to strangers, daddy always says._

Not knowing where else to go, he went back to his swing, sat there silently and stared again, only parts of the conversation going on next to him reaching his ears.

"Do you like your new house? Do you like your new school?" Questions after questions were thrown at the new one, Theresa. Did she have siblings, did she have a pet? And what was her favorite color? Favorite ice- cream?

Jack didn't care about anything they said, until suddenly... "What is your mommy's job, Theresa?", Marie asked and then went silent immediately, she and Brian both looking at Jack. "Oops", said Marie, a terrified expression on her face when seeing Jack's. She and Brian looked at each other, then ran away from the playground as fast as they could.

Jack sighed, not trying to hide his anger. Finally, he was alone again. _Now they are all gone, silly Brian, silly Marie, silly, silly, silly._ He had completely forgotten about Theresa, it was only when she sat down on the swing next to him that he remembered.

"Go away. I want to be alone." She didn't react to his harsh words. Instead she asked: "Are you hurt?" He stared at her, more angry than before. _Silly girl, why do you care?_ He shook his head. "Then why are you crying?" "I'm not crying" he said, but when his hand automatically flew up to his face he had to admit that she was right. He was crying.

"Everyone is being very silly today", he said, glaring at her, making sure she understood that it included her as well. Still, to his complete confusion, she didn't run. _Super silly. Most silliest girl in school._ He felt the urge to say it out loud to finally make her run, but then his daddy came to his mind. What would he say if he was so rude? Jack didn't want to know so he swallowed the words for this time. _But when she starts asking more silly things, then..._

"And school is being silly. School is very silly today." Now it was ' turn to look confused.

"Why?", she asked innocently. Another silly question. Had the whole world suddenly gone crazy over night?

"Because we are talking about our mommy's and daddy's work today." "What is wrong about that?" Jack sighed again, that girl cost him a lot of patience. He tried to shoot her a deathly glare that would completely scare her away, but it just didn't work. She was still here.

"Because my mommy is an angel", he replied stubbornly, turning away from her. He nearly jumped when she squeezed his hand, ready to yell at her, but instead, her soft words took his breath away. "My daddy is an angel, too", she said, smiling sadly at him.

He looked at her, curiously, intensively, in a way he hadn't looked at someone for a long, long time.

"Really?", he asked. She nodded. He moved closer to her, looking around carefully, if no one was listening, then he whispered: "What happened?" "He was very sick. And one day, the doctors said they couldn't heal him. And then my daddy came home and waited to become an angel. And another day, he wouldn't wake up anymore. Then my mommy came to my room and said that I should say goodbye to daddy, cause he would be leaving now. I thought she was being very silly", Theresa admitted, looking a little guilty at that statement. "Why", Jack asked, even more curious.

"Cause my daddy had told me, angels never leave us. I can't see my daddy, but he is always with me. So why should I have said goodbye to him? He's not gone."

"But how do you know he is still with you?" Theresa frowned, she found the question irritating. "When the sun is shining and it is a very nice day, then I know my daddy did it for me. I'm always saying that I don't like rain and if he wasn't with me, how could he hear it?" Jack nodded vigorously, that made sense. "How does he make the rain go away?" "He is in heaven, Jack, he can do everything. He just pushes the clouds away, it is so easy for him. And then the sun comes out again. That makes me very happy. And my daddy had sent me the little kitten that I've found on the doorsteps of our house. And daddy also helped me in the new school today. I know he is with me, and when I'm not alone then it is not that hard to be brave."

Jack smiled. It was only a very small smile, but it was there. "Tell me more", he begged. "Last summer, I fell off of a tree. It was a very big tree and everyone said that I could have hurt myself a lot. They said I was lucky. But I know that it was daddy, who protected me from getting hurt. That's his job as an angel." Theresa smiled at him. But she could see that Jack was still hurt. "What happened to your mommy, Jack?"

The smile faded. "A very bad man took her away. He came to our house. Then daddy told me to work the case with him. I didn't get hurt, but the bad man took my mommy. And I don't know why. It is very unfair. She is my mommy. She belongs to no one else but me." Again, tears were in his eyes and before he could think about it, he sat on the ground, crying hard, not caring anymore who would see him. Theresa sat next to him, gently hugging him and he cried and cried into her shoulder until her sweater was soaking wet, but she didn't seem to mind. _Maybe she isn't that silly. She seems very nice now. Especially for a girl. _

"Your mommy will always be with you. She loves you very much and she's protecting you. She can't go anywhere, Jack." "But what if she does? What if she has something really important to do, or she has to go the bathroom and take a shower? Mommy was always taking a long, long time in the bathroom. Who is protecting me then?"

"Angels never have to take a shower." "Don't they stink then?" Theresa laughed. "No, angels just don't get dirty and they always smell good." "Oh", Jack said, relieved. "Okay."

The bell rang, announcing the end of the break. They both got up and Theresa offered him her hand as a sign of support and comfort. Jack stared at it. "What's wrong, Jack?" "I can't hold your hand." "Why not?" "I am not a girl. Boys don't hold hands", he explained with a very serious voice. Inside he wasn't so self confident. He really didn't want to go back into the classroom, knowing that soon it would be his turn to explain his mommy's and daddy's work. "No one will see us", Theresa assured him. Hesitating a little, he finally took her hand. "Okay, but, if anybody sees us, you made me do it, yes?" Theresa laughed again. Then she saw his face. He was deadly serious about it. "Okay", she agreed and together they went back into the classroom, which took them a long time, because Jack looked suspiciously around every corner.

The young teacher looked at the clock about every minute. If only the bell would ring. She had let everybody else tell about their parents work before Jack on purpose, but it didn't help. They still had enough time left for him. She didn't know what do to. She couldn't just pretend that she had forgotten about him, the other children would remind her of him immediately. What would he be saying? She felt so sorry for him, but he wasn't the only child in the class. She suppressed a heavy sigh. "Jack? Would you please stand up and tell us about your parents work?" She forced herself to smile, that poor little boy.

Jack stood up, his palms sweating. He'd never been so nervous before. Then he caught sight of Theresa's face, she smiled at him. He smiled back a little, but only after making sure nobody would see it. Then he cleared his throat.

"I want to tell you about my mommy's work. My mommy has got the most important job in the world. She is an angel. Angels have to protect us. When I am sad, my mommy sends me little gifts from heaven. She makes my daddy buy the new toys I absolutely want. When it is raining, she pushes away the clouds so I can see the sun." Here he smiled at Theresa again. "When I'm in danger she makes sure nothing happens to me. I can't see my mommy anymore. But she is always with me, even now. She makes me brave. And she makes me feel safe."

Marie raised her hand. "But she can't cuddle with you anymore, can she?" Jack shook his head. "She is always cuddling me. I close my eyes, like that", he narrowed his eyes, "and then I see her and she is cuddling with me", he wrapped his arms around himself. "But I don't see her cuddling you", Marie said, still suspicious. "Of course not", Theresa interrupted her, "she is Jack's angel. Only he can see her." Marie shook her head, still confused.

"Do many people have angels, Jack?", another girl asked. He nodded. "Oh. Then there must be many children without a mommy or a daddy", she said sadly, deep in thought. "Everyone can be an angel, not just mommies and daddies. My daddy's friends told me. Even when people are just old and one day don't wake up anymore, they become angels." Jack looked at the sad girl again. "You told me your dog fell asleep forever. He can be your angel." "So he is not gone?" A smile appeared on her face at the thought of it.

"No", replied Jack, "when a person loves another person and then doesn't wake up anymore, they still don't go away. They become invisible, because angels have to be be invisible. It is a very special job and they must keep it a secret. You can't tell everybody. That's why you can't see my mommy."

All the children nodded vigorously now, yes, being an angel seemed like a very important job.

A young boy, who had been eagerly making a list about all the jobs mentioned, raised his hand. "So, is she working all day long or only half of the day?", he asked. Jack frowned. " All day long of course. Angels never sleep, don't you know?" He rolled his eyes and saw Theresa giggling.

"Does your mommy have wings?" That question surprised Jack, he hadn't even thought about the wings yet. "Yes", he decided after a minute, "my mommy has wings. In her favorite color, purple." His classmates stared at him, mouth and eyes wide open.

That was very important to him. She needed nice wings, white was so boring. He could see his mommy in front of his eyes for a moment, wearing a pair of wings on her back. It looked very funny and he grinned. Mommy with wings. But she also looked very, very pretty. _Mommy is the most beautiful angel ever, _Jack thought.

Then, just for a second, another image flashed into his mind. His daddy, wearing purple wings. Jack had to bite his lip, or he would have laughed out loud. He didn't want his daddy to be an angel, too, but the wings looked just too silly on him. Maybe one day, when he was sad, he could make daddy wear some wings. And he was relieved. If daddy looked silly with wings, it meant he couldn't become an angel. That wouldn't work.

The questions went on.

"Do angels glow?" "A little."

"In the dark, too?" "I sleep when it's dark, I don't know."

"Can they fly?" "How else could she come down from heaven." _That is a very, very silly question._

"Does your mommy need dust, just like Tinkerbell?" "She is an angel, not a fairy. Fairies are tiny, like babies. Mommy is a big girl."

"And you really only can see her when you close your eyes?" "Yes, but we also have pictures at home, there I can see her with my eyes opened."

The teacher stood up, tears in her eyes. She was more than impressed. How easily Jack had talked about his mother. How sure he was that she would never leave him, always love him. "Does anybody else have any questions?", she asked, barely managing to keeping her voice from breaking. The children shook their heads. "Thank you very much, Jack, it was a very good explanation. You may sit down again", she said, quickly turning around, not sure how long she would be able to look at him anymore before crying in front of her class.

Together, Jack and Theresa waited to be picked up, after talking a little they became silent, but Jack felt very good. It was a good silence. Their hands and shoulders brushed from time to time, but he didn't mind anymore. She was his friend now.

But he looked confused when a man called out to his new friend. And he got even more confused by her answer. "I'm here, daddy", she shouted, turning around to say goodbye to him.

"Who is that? I thought your daddy is an angel?" "My daddy is an angel, Jack. That is my new daddy. My old daddy became an angel a long, long time ago. And my mommy cried for a very long time. But then, she met Stephen. He and my mommy love each other a lot and Stephen and I love each other a lot, too. He is very nice. He does all the things with me my old daddy can't do anymore. And he helps me a lot when I feel sad. He always comes to my old daddy's grave with me. He says, it's very important for me not to forget him." Jack nodded, but he was still confused.

"Did he replace your daddy?" "No, Jack, he didn't replace my daddy. I have two of them. I think it would be much better if everybody had two mommies and two daddies. Because you can never know, one of them might become an angel. It's good to have an angel, very important, but you also need a mommy and a daddy, right?" He nodded again. _She is a very clever girl._

"Do I really need to have a new mommy? I don't want one, Theresa." "No, you don't." "But what if Daddy marries a new girl? What do I do then?" "You don't have to call her mommy, Jack. A mommy is someone very special. Not every girl can be a good mommy. But you have to make sure that she is good to your daddy, you know. I would have told my mommy, too. I was taking care of her, after daddy became an angel. And I liked my new daddy a lot when I first saw him, because he was being very nice to my mommy and me. But if I wouldn't have liked him, I would have told her. And I think, your daddy won't marry a girl that you don't like."

She smiled reassuringly at him and he smiled back. "Than you very much. You are a really smart girl. I think, you are more like a boy", he said in his most serious voice. She giggled.

Theresa's father, who had been waiting patiently for his daughter to finish her conversation, now came over to them. "Looks like you've already found a friend, Tess. That's great, I'm really proud of you." She smiled brightly at her dad.

"Daddy, this is Jack. His mommy is an angel, too."

Stephen looked at Jack. "I'm very sorry you can't see her anymore, Jack. But I'm sure she is a great angel and takes her job very serious." "She does." "I'm glad to hear that, Jack", Stephen replied.

Theresa got off of her chair and hugged Jack and he, to his own surprise, found himself hugging her back. "See you tomorrow, Jack. I hope you have a nice day with your mommy and daddy." "See you, too, Theresa. Hug your mommy and your daddies."

She had almost left the room when Jack suddenly called her back. "Theresa? Could you... could you ask your daddy if he knows my mommy? Could he tell you if she is fine in heaven and then you can tell me?" "No, Jack." "No? Why?" "I don't have to ask him anymore. He already told me. He knows your mommy and she is very well. She misses cuddling with you a lot, and reading you a story and playing with you, all that. But she is proud of being your angel and she will take good care of you. And my daddy said, if you want him to, then he will also take care of her."

Jack nodded, he couldn't come up with an answer to that. Someone was protecting his mommy... he was very relieved. All the time, he had been so worried about her.

It was then that Aaron Hotchner entered the room. "Daddy", Jack screamed, jumping off of his chair and throwing himself into his father's arms. "Hey buddy", Aaron said and picked him up, "how was school today?" "Good, very good. First it was very silly, but then it was very good." Aaron smiled at his son. "Anything you want to do today, buddy? We still got plenty of time left until dinner."

"Daddy? Can we visit mommy?" Of course, it was just his mommy's grave that they would be visiting, but Jack didn't plan to tell his daddy everything about angels right now. Maybe at dinner, when it would be just the two of them.

"Of course, if that is what you want." Jack nodded. As they walked out of school together, he held his fathers hand. And as he sat in the car, on their way to the graveyard, he thought that today, he would tell his mommy about Theresa and her two daddies. He was sure she would like the story.

"I love you, mommy" he whispered to the empty car seat next to him. It wasn't really empty, of course, his mommy was with him, he just couldn't see her. And as strange as that still felt, today, a lot of his bad feelings had gone away. His mommy was an angel, his angel, and the sun was shining. She made that for him. Today was a very good day.

_I hope you liked it. Please review. Please, please, please!_


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Well, there it is, the second chap. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed to the previous one and added this story to their Favorite Stories, thank you so much._

_Thanks to stu6cle for your suggestions. As I hadn't originally planned on continuing with this story, they were something I needed. _

_Again, this will be mostly Jack's POV, but also some of Hotch's in it._

_Disclaimer: No, I don't own Criminal Minds._

_I hope you like it._

_Please, please review._

Jack got out of the car, holding some flowers he and his daddy had just bought a few minutes ago, tight in his hand. He didn't know what they were called, but they were purple, that was all that mattered.

With his other hand, he reached out to his father. The only problem was, now he couldn't hold his mommy's hand. She was invisible, yes, but that was no reason not to hold her hand. He bit his lip. _What do I do now?_ It was a very hard decision to make, but he decided that he could still take his mommy's hand on the way back.

Although, he was a little bit afraid that she wouldn't follow them, after all, they went to visit her grave. He would be scared. That was like a very bad dream.

"Don't worry, mommy", he whispered very quietly, "I'm with you and I'm protecting you. You don't have to be afraid."

He felt his father looking at him, lifted his head up and smiled happily. His daddy smiled back, but he didn't look as happy as Jack felt and that confused him a lot. They were visiting his mommy. That was a good thing, wasn't it?

They stopped a few feet in front of the grave. Jack knelt down, putting the flowers very carefully in a vase that they had left there the first time they han been visiting his mommy. Then he turned around to look at his daddy, who was standing behind him, not having gotten any closer to the grave.

"Daddy, are you coming?" "It's alright, buddy, you can talk to her first." Jack could clearly see the sadness in his daddy's eyes and felt very guilty now. He really should have told his daddy about angels before they came here, it was obvious to him that his daddy still thought his mommy was gone. He didn't know she was still with them.

Well, he couldn't change that anymore. He would need to have a very long talk with his daddy this evening. There were so many things he didn't know about.

Slowly, still feeling very sorry, he turned around again to look at his mommy's grave. He softly patted the empty space on the grass next to him, to motion for his mommy to sit down.

Aaron watched his son in astonishment. He hadn't seen his son acting that happy in a long time. It seemed he had managed to get rid of a huge weight on his shoulders. Meanwhile, Jack began to talk and Aaron had to stop himself from thinking. He wanted to know what his son would tell his mother.

"Hi mommy. I wanted to visit you, and daddy said, we could come, so here we are. Daddy is with me, see, he is standing right behind me." "He lowered his voice a little and Aaron had to make a few steps forward so he could still listen to Jack.

"Mommy, I know everything. About the angel thing, you know. My new friend told me. Her name is Theresa. She is very nice. I didn't know before girls could be so nice. Little girls, mommy. Big girls like you are always nice." He stopped and, to Aaron's confusion, smiled at the grass next to him.

"Do you like your wings, mommy? I hope you like them. I think they look very, very pretty. Is it nice in heaven? Are the other angels nice to you? Do you have someone to play with, mommy? I'm very happy that Theresa's daddy is protecting you now, so that no one can come and take you away again." He sighed.

"I was very sad in school, but then Theresa told me about angels. I like your new job a lot, mommy. Thank you for making the sun shine for me. And for making daddy buy the new toys. And for protecting me. Thank you, mommy, you are a very good angel."

Jack would have simply went on, but Aaron couldn't take the confusion anymore. In all the months they had come here, Jack had never talked to his mother like that.

"Buddy, don't you want to tell mommy about your day in school?"

"But, daddy", Jack protested, turning around, "I don't have to tell her. She was there with me."

Aaron looked at the determined expression on his son's face and nodded, knowing better than to argue with him. He was curious where this would lead to.

Jack looked at his father, at the overwhelming sadness in his eyes and sniffed. That was so hard. He turned back to the grave.

"Mommy", he whispered, "daddy is very sad. He knows you're an angel, then why is he sad? Doesn't he know you are still here with us? I want to help him, mommy, but I don't know, how. He is always crying, mommy, when he thinks I'm sleeping and that I can't hear him. What can I do?"

Jack felt very helpless in the face of his fathers grief. He was just 4 years old and he had already tried so hard. "Mommy, I was hugging daddy a lot. I was smiling for daddy. And I have drawn lots of pictures for daddy. I'm trying to be extra good for daddy. And he smiles when he looks at me. But when he turns around, he is not smiling anymore. How can I make daddy happy, mommy?"

Aaron was silenty cursing himself. He had tried to be strong for Jack, not letting him see his grief, but obviously, he wasn't good enough at that. His son had even heard him crying in the night. What kind of a father was he? He should be a role model for Jack, he should show him that he could always lean onto his strong daddy, but his son had been reading him like a book.

Meanwhile, Jack had moved on to the next part of the conversation.

"Mommy, I don't want a new mommy. I am very happy for Theresa, because she is very happy with her two daddies, but I only want you. Even if you can't play with me anymore and I can only see you when I close my eyes, I still don't want a new mommy. Do I need one? Daddy can play with me, and daddies friends are playing with me, and daddy is cuddling me a lot, so I don't think I really need one. Even when daddy stops crying one day, I still don't want one. You are my mommy and I think, you can be my angel and my mommy."

At this point, Aaron couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Clearly, something must have happened in school today. If only he knew what it was. He would need to have another talk to the teacher. And he would need to talk to Jack. His son had to understand that he would never let someone replace his mother, never.

"I think it would be nice if daddy had a girlfriend again, because I have Theresa and he has no one, but I don't want to call her mommy then. Theresa said, I don't have to? Is that true, mommy? Theresa also said, daddy would only marry a girl, that would make me happy, too. But I am already happy, mommy, because you are with me and you are protecting me. She said I have to make sure the girl is being very good to daddy. I think, she needs to make him smile, then she will be good for him. Daddy needs someone, mommy, he is so lonely. That isn't nice."

Aaron could barely stop the tears from falling. He certainly didn't want Jack to see him like that, but how could there be a way of dealing with his sons's questions to his mother? Jack thought he was lonely? With his son at his side, he wouldn't have thought of himself as lonely, but from Jack's point of view, it definitely made sense. Most his classmates's parents were married and when they were talking about each others family Jack just had to notice the difference. Another point on the list of things he wanted to discuss with his son.

Jack had been thinking a lot about it on the way to the graveyard. Daddy was very lonely. Theresa's mommy had stopped crying when she met Theresa's new daddy. Maybe a girlfriend would make his daddy smile again, if he couldn't. He really, really didn't want to have a new mommy, but he was okay with a girlfriend, if only she would make his daddy smile.

There were so many things he still wanted to tell his mommy, but his tummy had been making funny noises for quite a while.

"Mommy, I want to tell you lots and lots of things, but I'm very hungry and I think, it's time to go home. I love you very much, mommy. Can you push the clouds away tomorrow, please, so daddy and I can go to the park and play?"

When Jack got up and turned around, Aaron quickly wiped the tears out of his face. _Why was daddy crying again_, Jack thought, but decided to ask him later, while Aaron, although he knew better now, was still hoping his son hadn't noticed the tracks the dried tears had left on his cheeks.

Aaron took his son's hand, ready to leave but Jack showed no intention of wanting to go. "Daddy, don't you want to talk to mommy, too?" Aaron sighed. There wasn't a day he didn't talk to Haley, even when not visiting her grave. But there was no way on earth he would let Jack listen to one of these conversations, hearing him explain to Haley how guilty he felt. So he shook his head. "No, buddy, it's already late. I can talk to her next time we're here, she will understand it."

Jack nodded, but was confused. His daddy acted like his mommy was still around somehow, which was true, then why did he look so sad? And why didn't he believe in what he said himself?

"Daddy, what are we having for dinner?", Jack asked once they sat in the car. He was really hungry now. "What do you think about pizza, buddy?" "Yeah, pizza!", Jack exclaimed, rubbing his tummy, a large smile on his face.

Hotch smiled sadly. If only something simple as a pizza could make him so happy...

Dinner was a quiet affair. Not that Jack wouldn't have wanted to finally tell his daddy about angels, but someone from work had called and daddy had to talk to them on the phone. At least he didn't have to leave. Jack was relieved, but also angry. If this person on the other side of the phone only knew how important it was that he talked to his daddy...he shook his head, then they wouldn't have called. Grown- ups. Always calling in a bad moment.

And he was still confused. While setting the table, he hadn't been sure whether his mommy would need a plate or not? Did angels eat? He really couldn't tell. He could believe that they didn't need to take a shower, but that they wouldn't have to eat... he would need to ask Theresa.

Right now, he was watching some cartoons, feeling his eyelids become heavy, but he desperately tried to stay awake. He hadn't talked to his daddy yet. It was so important. _I musn't fall asleep, I musn't fall asleep..._

When Jack woke up, it was still dark outside of his window, the only light in the room coming from his nightlight. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. Something had woken him up. A sound, something like... there it was again.

His daddy was crying. Jack hurriedly got out of his bed, putting his slippers on and grabbing the stuffed crocodile, that was always sleeping with him, then he raced out of his room. The sounds didn't come from his daddy's bedroom, so he went into the living room to search for him. Surely enough Aaron Hotchner was there, sitting on the couch, a picture of Haley in his hand, tears running over his face. He didn't even hear Jack coming in, but when suddenly someone cuddled close into his side, he nearly jumped.

"Jack", Aaron whispered, quickly trying to wipe the tears away, "what are you still doing up? Did you have a nightmare, buddy?"

Jack shook his head, shooting his daddy a long thoughtful look. Obviously, he hadn't been very successful at hiding his tears.

"Daddy? Why are you crying again? Is it because of mommy?"

Aaron could have said many things. Like that he'd been listening to a sad song. Or watching a sad movie, which would've probably caused Jack to shake his head, maybe even rolling his eyes, reminding him that only girls cried of such reasons. He coud have. And maybe, a few months ago, Jack would have believed him.

But definitely not the Jack that was sitting beside him now. His son, who somehow had learned to look behind every of his masks like they didn't exist at all. And Aaron was tired of wearing them. Maybe it was time that Jack would see him grieving. Maybe he needed to do that. He had wanted to be strong for Jack, but his son already seemed so much stronger than him. Aaron decided to stop pretending to feel something that wasn't there. He wasn't happy. He wouldn't tell Jack about the severity of his grief, his nightmares, but maybe his son needed to see him cry.

"Yes, buddy. I'm crying because of mommy. I miss her very much. I'm very sad she's gone and I'm very sorry."

Jack looked at his father, confused. Why would he be sorry? A bad man had taken his mommy away. He sighed, again, he couldn't remember how many times he had done that today, but it was more than he could count, that was for sure.

Jack had run out of options. It was about time. He needed to give his daddy the talk. About angels.

"Daddy, mommy isn't gone. She's an angel now."

"I know, buddy. Mommy is an angel in heaven."

"If you know, then why are you crying?"

"Because I wish she was still here with us, buddy."

Another sigh. _Daddy doesn't know anything about angels._

"Daddy, I want to tell you something about school today. Can I do that?"

Aaron looked at the clock. It was past midnight, but it was Friday, which meant, if there wouldn't be an emergency case, both of them could sleep long tomorrow. He nodded, sensing that Jack had wanted to talk to him since he had picked him up from school, but they been simply too occupied with other things. And then Jack had fallen asleep.

"I have a new friend in school. Her name is Theresa. She is new in our class. She was helping me a lot today. You know, today, we were talking about our mommies and daddies work in school. That made me very sad, because I didn't know what to say about mommy."

Aaron could feel his heart stop. He pulled Jack onto his lap, holding him tight against his chest. More tears were starting to make it's way down his cheeks. How much more could his son take, he wondered.

"I wasn't being very nice at first. I didn't want to play with anyone. I said a bad word, silly. Many, many times. I'm sorry, daddy," Jack said, looking up quickly to make sure his daddy wasn't too angry at him. What he saw was worse. His daddy was crying, again. It hurt his little heart.

He silently reached for his crocodile, pressing it into his daddy's arms, forcing himself to smile a little.

"She was telling me that her daddy is an angel, just like mommy. She said, being an angel is a very important job. Her daddy was very, very sick and one day, he came home, because no one could help him anymore. And then, he became an angel. But she didn't want to say goodbye to him. Because her daddy had promised her, that as an angel, he would always protect her and that he would be with her all the time."

At this point Aaron opened his mouth to say something, but Jack stopped him immediately.

"Ssh, daddy, I'm not finished talking. When a person falls asleep and doesn't wake up anymore, they become angels and they become invisible, but they never leave us. Mommy is still here, daddy. I just have to close my eyes and then I can see her. Mommy is making the sun shine for me. She is cuddling me and she is whispering to me, that she loves me a lot. She is making me happy, daddy. She is protecting me and she makes you buy nice things for me. Mommy is still here. I know it."

Aaron looked in Jack's face, he was so convinced of what he was saying.

"Is she here with us right now, buddy?"

"Yes, daddy. Close your eyes, then you can see her."

Aaron had to suppress a sigh. If it was just that easy. He would always see Haley when he closed his eyes, that wasn't hard, but telling himself that he could see her because she was an angel, not because his memory would project her image in front of his eyes cause she was always on his mind was nearly impossible. _If only I could simply believe in what you say, buddy..._

"Can you see her wings daddy? They are purple." He actually chuckled when hearing that. Jack immediately noticed, his face lightening up. His daddy was smiling again. Still, he didn't look as happy as Jack wanted him to, but it was a good beginning.

"Now I know", he whispered, more to himself than to his father.

"Now you know what, buddy?"

"She's glowing in the dark, too. I didn't know before, cause I am always asleep when it's dark, but now I know."

Aaron couldn't help himself but laugh. He liked the thought.

"Theresa has two daddies now. Her new daddy made her mommy stop crying and he is playing with her and cuddling and her old daddy is protecting her. Daddy", Jack bit his lip, hesitating a little, not sure how to start, " are you..."

"Am I what, Jack?"

"Are you gonna marry again?"

_What? Where does that come from?_, Aaron thought.

"I don't know, buddy, you can never tell, but I don't have plans on doing so. Why?"

Under no circumstances did he want his son to believe another woman could take his mother's place.

"Theresa's mommy stopped crying when she met her new daddy. They love each other a lot and Theresa said, he makes her mommy very, very happy and she is smiling again. If you had a girlfriend, then maybe you would be smiling, too?"

"Jack, I... I don't think it's that easy. You can't just 'have' a new girlfriend. If I should ever marry again, then it would need to be someone both of us love. And someone who loves us both. She would need to understand, that if she wants to be a part of this family, she needs to marry both of us."

"But daddy, I already have a girlfriend. I can't marry yours, too."

A grin appeared on Hotch's face when seeing the determined expression on Jack's. Then he felt sorry. That didn't come out the way he wanted it to.

"No, buddy, I mean, she needs to love both of us very, very much and she can't love one of us more than the other one. Do you understand that?" Jack nodded.

"But I'm curious, who is your girlfriend, Jack?"

"Theresa, of course."

"I thought you've just met her today? And she's already your girlfriend? You hardly know her. Isn't that a little fast?", Aaron asked, pretty amused by the seriousness that had appeared on Jack's face while he thought about the question.

Finally, Jack shook his head. "No, daddy, it's not too fast. She is very nice, the nicest girl I've ever met, except for mommy, of course. She made me smile again today. She was hugging me when I was crying", he said, completely unaware of the fact that he hadn't even told his daddy about that part of his day yet, "and she was holding my hand. And she knows about angels. She is a very smart girl. So, I think, she is my girlfriend now." To Jack, that was the only conclusion that made sense. She had done so many nice things for him today, she just had to be his girlfriend.

Aaron nodded. "Jack, I'm happy for you, but I don't think that a girlfriend would help me at the moment. I didn't live with you and mommy anymore for quite a long time before she became an angel, but I can't imagine loving someone else. She was the first girl I've ever loved, Jack, and she is your mother. She can't just be replaced. And you should never worry about that. She will always be your mommy. No one else can do that."

Jack looked on the floor, that was a good thing, but right now, it wasn't very helpful.

"If I can't help you find a girlfriend, what can I do then to make you happy?", he asked, having no idea left what to do next.

Aaron had to fight hard to stop the tears from falling again. _I'm such an idiot_. His son obviously felt guilty for not being able to make him smile and he didn't even notice. _What a great father you are, Aaron..._

"Jack, you make me happy. I'm so sorry for not smiling more, I'm trying to, really, but I still miss your mommy very much. But please know that you make me very happy. With every hug you give me", he cuddled his son, " with every picture you draw for me. Everytime you smile. You've made me very happy with telling me about all these things tonight. And I promise, I will try to smile more, alright, buddy?"

"Okay, daddy. Can I ask you something?"

"Anything, Jack."

"Why are you sorry that mommy isn't here anymore? It wasn't your fault."

_Everything, but this question. Oh, Jack._

"I'm sorry because I wasn't there to protect mommy and you."

All of a sudden, Jack had a very serious look in his eyes, which made him appear much older than four. He took his father's hand, squeezing it gently, like Theresa had done it before with him.

"Daddy, that wasn't your fault. The bad man took mommy away. You couldn't do anything. It was all his fault", tears were running down Jack's face , "because he was such a bad man. I don't know why he was so bad, but it was all his fault. Not yours, daddy. You saved me, daddy. And mommy doesn't think it is your fault, too."

Aaron hadn't been able to hold back the tears as well. "How do you know?" It wasn't a very appropriate question for a child, but he needed to hear it.

"Mommy told me, daddy. She is always with me and she told me. She says, it wasn't your fault and she isn't angry at you. And that you don't have to feel sorry." Jack was sobbing now.

He simply nodded, pulling his son even closer, and together, they were crying and Aaron was holding onto his son as the last connection to reality before he threatened to drown into his guilt, pulling more strenght out of this embrace than of every word of comfort he had received since Haley's death.

He couldn't tell how long they had been crying, just noticed that at some point, they must've stopped.

Jack looked at his father. "Mommy has loved you a lot, daddy. And when people don't wake up anymore, then they will always come back as angels to preotect the people they love and to make them happy. So mommy is your angel, too, daddy."

Aaron smiled, it was a very small smile, barely to be noticed, but Jack, knowing his father so well, saw it and smiled back.

"I want you to understand, that even if you can't see your mommy anymore, she will always love you, buddy. I'm sure she's already told you, but I want to make sure you really understand what that means. Your mommy has loved you more than everything else in the world and she will never stop loving you. You will always be the most important person to your mommy. Her number one. Do you understand that, Jack?"

"Yes, daddy. I love you."

"I love you, too, buddy. Will you be alright?"

Jack nodded, while desperately trying to suppress a yawn. Aaron saw it, though.

"Okay, I think someone belongs into bed again. What do you think, Jack?"

Another yawn.

"Daddy, can I sleep with you in your bed tonight?"

"Of course you can, buddy."

"Thank you, daddy

He handed his father his stuffed crocodile. "You can keep it, daddy, it helps against the nightmares."

"Thank you, but are you sure you don't want to keep it? You might need it", Aaron said, holding the crocodile out to him. "No, daddy, I'm sure. You need it more than me. And I can get another one", with that, he went to his bedroom to search for another stuffed animal. When he came back, he found his father staring at the picture of his mother he had held in his hand earlier that night.

"Daddy, it's nighttime", Jack tugged at the framed picture of Haley in his father's hand, "you've got to let her go. She needs to go to heaven now."

Though he knew what Jack was talking about, he felt like there was a deeper meaning behind his words. _You've got to let her go... let her go, Aaron..._

He laid the picture back on the table on it's previous spot. Jack took his hand, but instead of the bedroom, he was leading him to the window in the living room.

"Jack, what..."

"We have to say good night to mommy, daddy. Even if she is not sleeping, because angels don't sleep, but we are" Jack opened the curtains a little bit, so they could look at the stars.

"Good night, mommy. I love you. See you tomorrow. And remember, please push all the clouds away. I love you, mommy."

"Good night, Haley", Aaron murmured, while Jack was waving to the stars. He lifted his eyes up, too. This little star, blinking brightly on the left side of the moon, this star, which he couldn't remember to have seen earlier... that could be Haley. _Let her go..._

He looked down at his son and had to stifle a laughter. Jack's eyes were closed, he leaned against the wall, barely able to stand anymore. Aaron picked him up and carried him into the bed.

Jack fell asleep immediately, but Aaron sat in bed, too many thoughts running through his mind. He wished he could simply believe in what Jack had told him tonight. That Haley was an angel. That she would never leave them. He really wanted to, more than anything else, but he couldn't. After everything he had seen in his job, after everything he had ever experienced in his life, after her death, he wasn't sure what to believe anymore.

He wished he could be a child again, just for one day. It seemed so easy for them to believe. Children needed no proof to believe in angels, or dragons, in fairies, in magic. In miracles. They just did.

But somewhere on the way to growing up, every child would lose this gift, making space for reality. And Aaron thought, that this was probably the greatest loss they would ever experience in their life, the loss of innocence, the loss of faith in these miracles, and there was nothing he could do to prevent Jack from losing it.

It would simply happen, step by step, maybe it would even go mostly unnoticed by both him and his son, and one day he would wake up and realize that it was over, when Jack told him he was too big now to play pirates, or to believe in dragons or Santa Claus.

But he was pretty sure, or, at least, he hoped, that his son would always believe in angels. His mother was an angel, after all. And he would always need her. Maybe Jack would be able to keep his faith a little longer than other children did.

His son had seen enough bad things for a lifetime already. And he would do anything to make the rest of his childhood an unforgettable experience, in the best way possible for him.

Still, he wished he could feel that way again. If he could only find that little door that would take him back into the world of magic and miracles, behind the mirror, down the rabbit hole, if only...

Jack turned around, now facing his father. He looked so peaceful when sleeping, the sound of him breathing making Aaron tired, too. He lay down next to his son, protectively wrapping one arm around him.

Maybe he didn't have to search for the rabbit hole anymore. Jack, as long as he was a child, would provide him with an entrance to this wonderful world, in which everything seemed possible.

Jack's eyes, like windows through which he could look at this world. They had shown no sign of any doubt while he was telling him about angels. And then, just before he drifted off into sleep, another thing occured to him. Haley was indeed still here, although maybe not in the way Jack thought she was.

He was a part of Haley. And wherever she might be right now, this part of her would always be here with him. _Jack is right, _Aaron thought_, you can never completely leave the ones you love. _

Aaron wasn't sure if he could really ever believe in angels. But he believed. He didn't believe in fairytales or dragons. He didn't believe in miracles.

But today, something important had happened. His son had found happiness again, he had found a new friend, he had made a huge step back into normality, as normal as life could become again after such a life changing experience. He clearly hadn't expected to see Jack like that so soon afterwards. Or ever again.

Aaron Hotchner didn't have many things left to believe in. But he believed that everything could change. For the better. And he believed in Jack's ability of making the best out of every situation. With that in mind, he finally managed to fall asleep.

_Oh God, I thought I'd never get done with this. Originally, it had started with a lot more thoughts about Haley being an angel, but somehow that wouldn't work and I thought, now that Jack knows that his mother is always with him and is safe in heaven, he would start worrying more about his father. That seemed to make more sense. I hope you like this chapter. Please review and tell me what you think. I consider writing a third chap, where Theresa comes back and Aaron finally gets to meet her. Always depending on your reviews, of course. So please, hit the green button now... thank you very much. _


	3. Chapter 3

_**AN: Okay, that took me some time, but I was also working on another story which should be up soon. And then there was work. This is my final chapter of the story, cause I can't have Jack and Aaron grieving forever. **_

_**Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed to the 2nd chapter, I'm extremely grateful for it and I think I've managed to reply to everyone, but if I should've forgotten about someone I'm really sorry.**_

_**violinmemories, this chapter is dedicated to you and your dad. Your reviews kept me up thinking all night. Thank you so much. **_

_**stu6cle, I hope you'll be happy with the Theresa and Aaron scene. **_

_**This is set about two weeks after the last chapter. **_

_**Okay, now let's get started. And as always, please, please review. You know how much it means to me. **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or Snow White. I do own Theresa, Stephen and Lina :)**_

**********

_She's got to be kidding me_, Aaron thought. Finally coming home after two weeks, completely worn out from a horrible case, all he had wanted was to go home with Jack, who had been dropped of by Jessica at the office. It could have been a good evening. But then Strauss had called him into a meeting, urgently.

Cursing silenty, he had to go, leaving Jack in his office with Emily.

Jack sat on his daddy's desk, deep in thoughts. He had a pencil in his hand, ready to start drawing, however, he hadn't moved since quite a while. Emily was watching him curiously.

"Jack", she asked, "is there a problem? Do you need anything?" He looked at her, studying her intensively, well, as intensively as a four year old could. Finally coming to the conclusion that he could trust her, he waved her over to him.

"I want to draw an angel in heaven for my friend, but I don't know how it looks like in heaven", he said, nervously waiting for her response. She looked stunned.

"No one knows what it looks like in heaven, Jack. I think, it looks different for everyone", she answered, being as honest as ever.

"Why do you want to draw an angel for her?"

Jack climbed down the chair, searching for something in his bag. Then he held out a picture to her.

"That is mommy as an angel. My girlfriend made it for me. Her daddy is an angel, too, and I want to draw him, but I'm not sure how to start."

He smiled at her. An insecure smile. That's how she could tell that this was not the only thing bothering him. She softly placed her hand on his arm. He looked at her, tears in his eyes. Hers were instantly filled with sorrow.

"Jack, sweetheart, what's wrong? Are you hurt? Has something happened in school? Shall I call your daddy?" He shook his head vigorously, panicked and threw himself into her arms, sobbing loudly.

She held him tight, stroking his back, whispering gentle words into his ear and after a while, he lifted his head up from her shoulder.

Wiping his tears away a little, he met her worried eyes. Emily was always being very nice to him and he hoped that he could trust her with what he was going to say.

"Tomorrow is my mommy's birthday and I don't know how to give her present to her", he whispered, silent tears running down his face.

"Jack, are you sure that I shouldn't call your daddy?" He stared at her, shocked. "No, Emily, please don't call daddy. I don't want him to see me cry."

"Sweetheart, I'm sure he wants to know." "No", Jack cried, "you can't let him see me. He was crying so much, Emily, I have to take care of daddy. When he sees me crying then he is crying, too. I don't want daddy to cry. I want to make him smile. Don't tell him, Emily, promise me."

Emily bit her lip. If she said no, she wouldn't get Jack to open up to her. She wanted to say yes, but she needed to tell Hotch. And she would not lie to Jack. _What can I do?_ Maybe she could do both, helping Jack and finding a way to let Hotch know about this without breaking Jack's promise. Right now, helping Jack seemed more important to her.

"Okay, I promise Jack, I won't tell your daddy. Do you want to talk about the birthday?"

He nodded slowly. "When I was shopping with Aunty Jessica, I made her buy a nice teddybear, but I didn't tell her it was for mommy cause she cried a lot when I was with her because tomorrow is my mommy's birthday. And then I asked Theresa how her daddy gets his presents, but she didn't know and then she was sad, too, cause she hasn't given her daddy presents for his birthday. Now everyone is sad and I didn't want to ask daddy or Jessica. I don't want to make everyone sad."

"Jack, you are not making everyone sad. You're making them happy. They're sad because your mommy isn't with you anymore and they can't celebrate her birthday with her."

"But mommy is still with me, Emily. She is an angel. But I have to send her presents to heaven. She can't open them here. When she is here, she is invisible and she can't touch anything."

The sadness in his voice was painful to listen to. And she couldn't help but think of Matthew. It was about one and a half years ago now.

Jack instantly noticed the sad look in her eyes, knowing this look so well. _Now I've made her sad, too_.

"I'm sorry for making you sad, Emily. See, I'm not making anyone happy."

Emily shook her head. "I just had to think of an old friend of mine, who isn't here anymore, Jack. You didn't make me sad."

Jack was still worried. She looked so sad, just like his daddy always did.

"Is your friend an angel?"

"I don't know, Jack."

"Has he fallen asleep forever? That's when you become an angel."

She slowly nodded, not wanting to cause him more pain than he was already experiencing.

"Were you good friends?"

"For a while. There was a time when he was like a brother to me."

"Do you miss him?"

"Yes, I do. Although I hadn't been thinking about him for a very long time before he, uh, became an angel."

"He misses you, too", Jack said, which made her frown.

"I will never know", she replied, but he shook his head.

"I miss my mommy a lot. And she misses me a lot. So when you miss your friend, he misses you just as much."

"I don't think it is that easy, Jack", Emily said sadly, frowning even more. _Shouldn't I be the one to take care of him? Wasn't he the one crying into my shoulder only minutes ago? When had that changed?_

Jack sighed, he had gotten used to that. He had also needed to give his daddy and Aunty Jessica the talk about angels. _Emily doesn't know about angels, too. Why does no one know?_

"Emily, when people become angels, they are not really gone. We can't see them anymore because they are invisible. But they don't go away. They need to protect us, so they can't go away. Never."

No matter how good that sounded, Emily couldn't just make herself believe in something easily. That was a result of the job. And of her screwed up childhood and youth. She needed proof, even if she didn't want to. She couldn't help herself.

"I didn't know, too, for a very long time, but then I met Theresa. Her daddy is an angel. I was very sad when I first saw her in school,, because we were talking about our mommy's and daddy's work, but she said my mommy is now working as my angel. She has to protect me. She is making nice weather, she made the sun shine for me a lot. She makes me brave. She makes daddy buy toys. She always takes care of me and helps me and makes me smile. I'm very happy my mommy is still here with me."

Emily managed to smile. "I'm very happy your mommy does all that for you, Jack."

He could easily tell she hadn't gotten the point.

"Emily, your friend is protecting you, too. That's what you do as an angel."

"But how could I be sure he is my angel now? What about his family? Don't you think he would be with them?"

Jack shook his head. "My mommy is taking care of daddy and me. Angels can take care of many people. And he was your friend and you are very nice, so he misses you very, very much. He has to take care of you. That's how it works."

Emily considered his words. She had never been one to simply believe. And after Rome, angels were probably something that would never work for her again. But she liked the thought of him still being with her, never leaving her, no matter if he was an angel or... something else. She wanted to believe that Matthew had forgiven her.

She smiled at him, a real smile. It couldn't completely erase the tears burning in her eyes, but he found it very nice to look at. So many people were crying around him. He liked seeing her smile.

"Thank you, Jack", she said, "I really liked hearing about angels. It was very helpful."

He smiled, he liked helping her and making her smile.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a solution for his problem.

"Emily, do you know how I could send a present to my mommy?"

She bit her lip again, a bad habit. "I'm so sorry, Jack", he could tell that she really meant it, "but I have no idea. I will think about it, I promise."

He had been thinking about it all the time since he had found out about the birthday. His first thought was to simply throw it up into the sky, but when he had been playing football, the ball had been high up in the air, too and had come back to earth.

He had wondered if his daddy could take it with him the next time he went on the plane, but he wanted his mommy to get her present daddy had just come home and as he hadn't been talking about mommy's birthday, Jack didn't want to be the one to remind him of it.

Jack had wondered if he could tie it up to a bird, but they always flew away. And his aunt was a little confused when he asked her for an owl, like they had them in Harry Potter. That's when he had run out of ideas.

He really didn't want to give up just like that, but he was so tired and had no more ideas left. He sighed. Then he remembered the picture he wanted to draw for Theresa. He should better get started.

"Emily", he said while getting off her lap, "can you help me? can you show me how to write 'For Theresa Montez. I love you very much'?" "Of course", she replied, writing it on a sheet of paper so he could copy it. "That's your girlfriend? Is she nice?"

"Very nice. She is a very good girlfriend."

"How do you know?"

"She was hugging me when I was sad. I was holding her hand. We meet almost every day after school. She knows about angels and she can run really fast. And she likes pizza a lot, just like me. She was playing with my cars, she doesn't just play with dolls. That means she is a very good girlfriend."

Emily smiled and nodded, while Jack had begun to draw an angel with green wings. Theresa had told him that it was her daddy's favorite color. Drawing an angel didn't seem so complicated after all. And he would just add a sun to it.

Jack made the angel have a big smile and huge wings. Emily studied the picture curiosly.

"Why does he have green wings, Jack? Why not white?"

"All angels have wings with another color, like my mommy, she has purple wings. That was her favorite color."

He noticed Emily was watching him again, still smiling. He wondered what she was thinking about. Maybe her angel. His eyelids became heavy. He wanted to tell her more about angels and Theresa, just to make sure she kept smiling, but he was too tired.

Emily picked him up, placing him on the couch in Hotch's office. Then she sat down, doing nothing but watching him. Talking to him had been amazing. After Matthew's death, she had simply tried to move on, not looking back. She hadn't allowed herself to think about such possibilities. But she had to admit, knowing him here with her was way better than thinking he was gone without leaving something behind. And considering the job she had, some extra protection could never be wrong.

It was already past ten, when Hotch finally made his way over to his office. He noticed that the lights had been switched off and surely enough he was greeted by the sight of Emily Prentiss, laying her finger on her lips, motioning for him to be quiet.

Jack was lying on his couch, covered under a blanket, sound asleep. When Emily got up after softly stroking Jack's cheek, Aaron noticed her eyes were being brighter as usual, as if she had cried. He looked at her questioningly, but she just shrugged her shoulders.

He grabbed her elbow. "Prentiss, is everything alright?"

Emily sighed. "Yes", she whispered, turning around to Jack again. "He is a wonderful child, Hotch. You can be so proud of him."

_As if I hadn't been confused before, did you have to make it worse, Prentiss?_, he thought, shaking his head slightly.

"I know, and I am proud of him."

She smiled. "Good night, Hotch."

"Good night, Prentiss."

She left the office and he bent down to pick up Jack so they could finally go home. The last two weeks had felt like eternity.

**********

Jack didn't have a good night. All he could think about was his mommy's birthday. There were many times when he had been standing in front of his daddy's bedroom, thinking about telling him, but every time he would go back to his bed. He was glad he was going to Theresa's house this afternoon after school. Maybe her mommy or daddy had an idea.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep anymore, he quietly got up, packing the teddybear into his backpack. If Theresa or her parents had an idea how to send the present to his mommy, he would need it.

**********

It was still early in the morning, but Jack already knew it would be a very nice and warm day. His mommy had done a good job at pushing the clouds away for him. Usually, that made him happy. Today, it just made him feel guilty.

He was chatting with Theresa in front of school, while Aaron handed Stephen Jack's booster seat, when he suddenly spotted someone familiar.

"Emily", he shouted, causing his daddy to turn around, obviously confused. Jack was nervous. Was she here to tell his daddy that he had cried yesterday? And what was she doing with four big balloons in her hand?

"Good morning, Jack. Good morning, Theresa", Emily smiled at them, though she still had that sad look in her eyes.

Aaron came over. "Emily, what are you doing here?"

"Well", she hesitated a little, "Jack told me yesterday that today is Haley's birthday. He was searching for a way to send her a present. I think I've found one", she said, pointing at the balloons wrapped tightly around her wrist to keep them from flying away.

A bright smile appeared on Jack's face. He rushed over and hugged Emily as tight as he could. Theresa stared at Emily in amazement, while Aaron's jaw had dropped.

"Thank you so much, Emily, now I can give my mommy her present." He couldn't believe it. That was one of the nicest things someone had ever done for him. Something was confusing him, though.

"Emily, why do you bring four balloons? And so many cards?" She smiled at him and Theresa again, who still stared at her.

"I thought, you could use two balloons, one for your present and one for the card, any maybe, if she wants to, Theresa could send her daddy a card as well. Just to say hello, you know, tell him she loves him. Would you like that, Theresa?" Emily asked her directly, a soft smile on her lips. Theresa nodded quickly.

Jack was jumping up and down, too happy to stand still. Eventually he came to a halt, only to threw his arms around Emily's neck again, placing wet kisses all over her face. She laughed while trying to keep herself from falling.

**********

"Ready?", Emily asked, having tied each card plus Jack's present up to one of the huge balloons. Jack's were purple, Theresa's was green and Emily's blue. "Ready", both of the children answered, holding their balloons in their hands. "Three, two, one", Emily said and they released them into the sky. Higher and higher, until sun got too bright and they couldn't follow them with their eyes anymore.

"Thank you so much, Emily, that was very, very nice. My mommy is very happy about it, I'm sure."

"My daddy is very happy, too", Theresa said, she couldn't take her eyes off of Emily, who finally knelt down in front of her. "What's so interesting about me, Theresa?", she asked, smiling.

Jack shook his head, confused. Emily was hunting monsters with his daddy, that was very interesting. And she had brought them balloons. And she had been very kind yesterday while he was crying.

"You look like Snow White", Theresa burst out.

Four pairs of eyes stared at her and Emily giggled. "Thank you very much", she said. Theresa smiled at her, encouraged, now that she had made the first step. "You are very pretty. Are you Snow White?"

"No, I'm just Emily, Theresa."

"You're not just Emily", Jack protested, "you're my friend Emily", he hugged her again.

"You're my friend, too", Theresa added quickly, hugging her as well.

"I'm glad I am, thank you", Emily whispered, tears in her eyes, and a beautiful smile on her face.

The bell rang, announcing that school was about to start. Jack felt he'd just woken up from a very nice dream, he wanted to turn back around and keep on dreaming, but, of course, it wouldn't work. He hugged his daddy and Emily goodbye, then he took Theresa's hand, who still couldn't stop staring and went into the classroom.

Stephen shook Emily's hand, smiling brightly, telling her how grateful he was. He knew too well what it meant for both of the children.

Aaron still hadn't picked up his jaw from the floor. He couldn't believe she'd done that for Jack. Slowly, he made his way over to her.

"Emily... I don't know what to say. Thank you doesn't seem enough, but it's the only thing that comes into my mind right now."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Jack and I had an interesting talk yesterday, while you were in the meeting. You could say that I was just returning the favor."

"He's told you about angels?"

She nodded. "It was amazing, Hotch. I'm not sure if I can believe in everything he said, but... I can't really describe it. It's just that this was the first time since Matthew's death that I've felt like someone had really found the right words to comfort me. It was wonderful."

"And you were crying", he said, as a matter of fact.

"Just like you", she replied. _Touché._

He nodded, knowing this would be their secret.

"Thank you, Emily. Thank you for making Jack smile. Maybe, one day, you could tell me about the talk you had yesterday?" "He made me promise not to, you'll have to ask him before. But he will be alright, Hotch." He stared at her, completely confused, but knowing she wouldn't ever break a promise. "Oh, I'm going to ask him, trust me. I see you at work, Prentiss." She grinned, now she was Prentiss again.

Before he could go to his car, she placed her hand on his arm, holding him back. A little irritated, he turned back around. "There's another balloon in my car", she said, "just in case..." She didn't need to finish the sentence. He simply nodded, even managed to smile a little. It was a pretty unusual way, but he wouldn't want to miss the chance of sending Haley a card on her birthday.

********

Jack couldn't believe he was so lucky. Or that this morning he had been so sad. Before school, Emily had been helping him send a card and a present to his mommy in heaven. That was the first good thing. And as Theresa's mommy picked them up from school, she took them for shopping, saying that they would buy a birthday cake for his mommy and later, when his daddy came, they would be celebrating. He was more than delighted.

"I like your house, it is really big", Jack said, curiously looking around. They had just arrived at Theresa's house.

"Shall we go and play outside? Your mommy made the weather really nice today", she said.

"Your daddy was helping, too. Let's go."

They entered the backyard, and Jack cheered loudly as he saw the swings. He really wanted to come here more often.

"Jack?", Theresa said as they sat on the swings, "do you think the cards and the present are in heaven now?"

He tilted his head to the side, thinking about it. "I'm not sure. But Emily bought very big balloons and they were really fast. I think they are in heaven." _I really hope mommy likes the teddybear._

"That was a really good idea. It was nice that she came to school to give the balloons to us", Theresa said, having talked about Emily all day in school.

Jack rolled his eyes. "You know, she isn't Snow White. She is monster hunter Emily."

"But she looks just like her."

"She has no dwarfs. And there was no prince."

"And no white horse", Theresa added, a little disappointed.

"Emily doesn't need a horse, she has a car", Jack explained.

"Who is her angel, Jack?" Theresa had been watching Emily closely, wondering who would receive her balloon.

"She says, he is a very old friend, almost like a brother, she said, but I don't understand it. Is he her friend or her brother?"

"Didn't you ask her?"

"She was sad when I told her about angels. Tess, why is everyone sad when I tell them about angels? They should be happy."

"I don't know. They are always sad when I tell them, too. Maybe because they can't see their angels. Did you tell her to close her eyes?"

Jack bit his lip, shaking his head. _Oh, no, poor Emily. I need to tell her. _

"I've forgotten", he admitted, feeling so guilty. Theresa came over and stroked his arm. "It's okay, Jack, I forget it sometimes and then people cry. But you can tell your daddy when he comes to call her then he can tell her. She won't be so sad anymore then."

He nodded and she returned to her swing. Silence filled the backyard as the two of them just sat there, deep in thought as they always were. Again, it was Theresa who broke the silence.

"Jack? Do you think my daddy is angry at me because I couldn't send him presents on his birthday?", she said, her voice shaking.

Jack looked at her, when seeing the tears in her eyes, he immediately jumped off his swing and pulled her into his arms. She buried her head into his shoulder.

"No, he isn't angry at you, he always loves you. He can't be angry at you. You didn't know how to do it before."

"But I missed his birthday! I wouldn't be happy. I really didn't want to forget about it, Jack."

"Your daddy is always with you, he knows that. He isn't angry. He knows you couldn't do it. But now you can always send him something. Then he will be very happy."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I am. Your daddy loves you very much."

"She sniffed. "Thank you, Jack. You are my best friend in the whole world."

"You are my best friend, too."

They smiled at each other, until suddenly Theresa jumped off the swing.

"You can't catch me", she shouted, running away as fast as she could. Jack laughed and went after her. He chased her around the backyard for a few minutes and it was at the swings where he finally managed to get a hold of her. "Are you sure you are not a boy?" "Yes, look, I'm wearing sparkling shoes." He nodded, but was still frowning. "Then don't run so fast. Girls don't run so fast." "I can run so fast. See..." with that she was gone. Jack shook his head, grinned and started catching her again.

Aaron had left work quite early today, now on his way to pick up Jack. He knew his son loved being with Theresa, but he wanted to spend some time with him, too. It had been far too long since the last time they did something together, or simply talked.

He also wanted to talk to Jack about Haley's birthday, explain to him why he didn't mention it to him. Aaron was curious as to why Jack hadn't asked him for help and determined to find out. As happy as he was to see everyone helping his son, he couldn't quite ignore feeling hurt that Jack seemed to have talked to anyone but him.

And it clearly wasn't for the fact that he was away on a case, or Jack wouldn't have talked to Emily either. He wondered what was bothering him so much that he couldn't talk to him about it.

Feeling tired and the start of a headache, he rang the bell and had barely managed to say hello to Stephen when Jack ran into him and hugged his legs.

"Daddy! You're here."

"Yes, I am, buddy."

"Daddy, I have a surprise. We are celebrating mommy's birthday. We have a cake. And candles. And we sing a song for her, daddy.

_Please, tell me this is a joke. I can't handle that._

"That's great, buddy", Aaron said, forcing himself to smile. Luckily, Theresa chose this moment to whisper something into Jack's ear, so he didn't notice Aaron putting his mask on.

"Theresa said, we can stay for dinner, if we want to, daddy. Please, daddy, can we stay? I want to eat here. Please."

Aaron looked up at Stephen, who watched Theresa and Jack, smiling. "You really don't have to", he said, but Stephen cut him off. "Aaron, it's no problem, we wouldn't suggest it if we didn't want you to stay. And besides", he leaned closer, lowering his voice, a serious expression on his face, "I guess there'll be enough things left for you to deal with today. Try to relax and collect your thoughts, as long as Jack is distracted."

He nodded gratefully, that was true.

A voice interrupted his thoughts.

"You must be Jack's dad. I'm Lina, Theresa's mother", she said.

"I'm Aaron. Nice to meet you, Lina", he replied, while shaking her hand.

"How are you, Aaron?"

He could tell by the sound of her voice that this wasn't just a polite question. She really wanted to know. And he really didn't want to talk about it. "I'm fine, thanks."

Lina nodded understanding. "So... how about we all go into the backyard? Ready to celebrate, kids?"

Jack cheered loudly, took Theresa's hand and raced outside.

Aaron saw Lina and Stephen exchanging a worried look. _Don't do that. I'm getting enough of these looks at work._

Not knowing what to say, he simply followed the children, hoping for the day to end soon.

**********

He had managed to get through eating the cake and blowing out the candles along with Jack without any tears. But keeping his composure was getting harder with every minute. Suppressing the urge to run away, Aaron sank on the couch and buried his face in his hands.

"Lina? I need to wash my hands", Jack said. He'd found it incredibly amusing to eat the cake with his fingers. "Of course, Jack. Come with me." She walked over to him, managed to find a spot that wasn't covered with chocolate and gently shoved him into the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Theresa slowly came closer, a shy smile on her face. Aaron smiled back.

"Do you feel better?", she whispered worriedly.

"Better? Why shouldn't I feel well?"

She took his hand. "Jack told me that you were crying a lot about Jack's mommy. And that he told you about angels. Are you better now?"

Aaron looked at her, confused. _How on earth could I explain that to her_, he thought.

"I'm better now. Jack was helping me very much. Because you were helping him in the first place. I'd like to thank you, Theresa. You are a great help to Jack."

She flashed him a smile, then the worried look returned on her face. She sat down next to him, still holding his hand.

"When my daddy became an angel, my mommy was crying very, very much. She said to me and my daddy that she was very sorry. But my daddy was sick. No one could help him anymore", the sadness in her eyes was overwhelming, "it wasn't my mommy's fault."

He sighed, every inch of his body seemed to hurt, speaking had become painful.

"Theresa, Jack's mommy wasn't sick, She..." _I can never tell her about that. She is a child._

But Theresa interrupted him.

"I know what happened. Jack told me. A bad man came to your house and took his mommy away. That is very, very unfair. But it is not your fault."

"It's not that easy. You know, I could've saved her. I could've..."

"No."

"What do you mean with 'no'?"

"Just no. Sometimes you can't help anymore. Like no one could help my daddy."

Tears were running down his face before he even realized he was close to crying. Theresa hopped off of the couch and returned a few seconds later, holding some tissues in her hand, which he gratefully accepted.

"Jack is very sad when you are crying. You musn't say it's your fault anymore. It makes you very sad. And when you are sad, it makes Jack sad. Being sad is not good. You can't cry forever. One day, you need to start smiling again."

Aaron just stared at her, wondering if he really just had that conversation. _What has happened that __children are suddenly the ones to comfort adults? That feels so wrong._

Someone cleared his throat, causing him to turn around. Stephen stood behind him and patted his shoulder when noticing the dried tears. "Dinner is ready", he said. Theresa squeezed his hand once more, then she ran off into the garden. "Bathroom is this way", he heard Stephen say. He got up and cleaned his face to get rid of the tears. _Theresa is right, Jack has seen enough of them._ Then he joined the others in the backyard.

***********

After having dinner, they hadn't been talking much anymore, but spent most of their time watching Jack and Theresa playing hide and seek, or chasing each other around the backyard. Pretty worn out, the children had returned to the table and were now both sound asleep on the couch in the lounge, leaning against each other, looking so peaceful that Aaron couldn't get himself to wake Jack up.

Having to go to work tomorrow, Stephen had called it a night quite a while ago, leaving the conversation to Aaron and Lina.

"I wanted to thank you for letting Jack come over. He's changed so much since he met Theresa. She is helping him in ways that I never could. It's solely for her that he is smiling again."

Lina smiled, but shook her head. "No, it isn't. She loves helping everyone, but she was determined to help Jack when she heard about his fate. And he's not just smiling because of her."

"Are you joking? She's the only thing he talks about at home, except for his mom."

"Well, Aaron, when he is with her it's just the other way round. Did you know that your son is talking about you all day long? How proud he is of you? And how scared that one day you might not come home again? He told us about the last time you were visiting his mother together, about your tears." He was speechless, not knowing what to say. He should have known that Jack would need to turn to someone, besides of him, but he'd expected that person to be Jessica.

"You know, although my first husband wasn't murdered, I've been through this all. The grief. The tears. The guilt." He stared at her, irritated.

"Yes, I felt guilty, too. Not for the reasons you do, though. But Theresa... she remembers this time clearly, way too clearly for my liking. It was hard, so hard I thought I wouldn't be able to get through it. She was crying and screaming every night, demanding her daddy would come to her. She refused to eat, to speak, to go to school. And it was the hardest thing I've ever done, watching my little daughter falling apart and not being able to help her. That's when I felt guilty. She had always been clinging to her father and there were these nights when I thought, for her sake, why couldn't it be me? Maybe then it would have been easier for her. It took me some time to realize that it didn't matter. She was grieving. That takes time. Sometimes years. Losing a loved one is never easy. And there is no way to tell how someone will react. No one knows before."

"How did she get over it?"

"She's been to therapy, Aaron. It was a tough decision to make, but when she refused to eat, there were only very few choices left. She was too young to know what was happening to her, she couldn't cope with it, and I wasn't strong enough to pull her through it on my own. I needed help."

"And she was alright with it?"

"At first, no, of course not. She wouldn't let go of me, but her therapist said, it was important to see her reaction, her behaviour when she was without me. While being with me, she never stopped crying. Maybe because we were both grieving and shared our tears. So after the first few sessions, she was alone with her."

Aaron had a slightly distrustful look on his face and Lina smiled sadly at him.

"I know, I didn't think it would work out, too. But then, after a few weeks, she changed. That's when I knew she would be fine, in the end. "

"How did you know?"

"She started crying less, didn't have nightmares every night. I don't want to lie to you, the progress she made, it all happened very slowly. Sometimes she would just sit there and smile, without needing a reason. She laughed again. Found tv interesting. Wanted to go out and play. She started coming back to life. And she pulled me with her. While she was grieving, I hadn't been able to get through my grief, too. You can't see your children in pain and don't suffer along with them."

Aaron nodded. "This therapist, how long has she been seeing her?"

"For nearly two years. She stopped only because we moved here."

"Do you plan on sending her into therapy again?"

"I had thought about it, after all, it's always been very helpful for her. She has a special way of thinking and needs someone to understand that. But then she met Jack and she's happy. Don't think it's just Jack that needs Theresa and grows stronger through their friendship. She needs him just as much. She is talking about him all day, only cares about the next time she will see him and she's started to dislike the weekends a lot."

"That's just like Jack. A day without Theresa is a lost day for him. But I'm not sure if I can agree with you. He's gained so much confidence in the last two weeks, I wasn't even sure it was my son anymore. She's changed his life. With her at his side, I see no need for sending him into therapy. It seems to me like talking to Theresa helps him so incredibly much. But do want to do this to your daughter? Stir it all up again? This was supposed to be a new start for you."

Here, Lina interrupted him. "Stop, Aaron. Jack is not stirring anything up. You haven't known my daughter before. The only difference I've noticed is now, that Jack is with her, she is happier than any time during the last two years. Therapy was helpful, but she also would have needed a friend. Children who have lost a parent want to talk to their friends about it, but who would understand? Jack knows exactly how she feels. She has opened up to him immediately. Don't get me wrong, but I couldn't be more grateful that Jack is in Theresa's life. He makes her smile, laugh, or simply play. She hasn't really been a child for so long, always felt like there were worlds between her and the other children. The therapy was helping her to get over the loss of her father. She wasn't that sad anymore, but I needed her to be happy. Which she is, now that she has Jack."

He nodded. "Thank you. I didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't. You are worried, Aaron. Just worried. I take it you will support this friendship in every way possible?"

"I definitely will. There is no way I would take joy in Jack's life away from him. He's happy when he is with her."

"I'm glad we agree on that."

They sat in silence for a few minutes until Lina leant forward, causing Aaron to look up.

"Now that we talked about our children, how are you holding up, Aaron?"

"I... I don't know. I'm not sure how I'm feeling. Or if I want to talk about it."

"Listen, I've already told you that I know what happened to your wife. Well, as much as Jack had told Theresa and I'm not sure if I want to know more. But one thing I know. Jack doesn't blame you. And neither does she."

"How would you know that?"

"Theresa isn't the only one that went to see a therapist. I really couldn't deal with it all by myself. There is no explanation as to why I do so, but I just know how you feel. I know it. Don't blame yourself."

"I believe you are right, but I can't handle this at the moment. It's too short after..."

"Again, I understand. It takes time. You will find your way of dealing with it. And if you need any help, for yourself, or with Jack, you know where I am. I would be more than glad to help you, and so would Stephen. We will be there, Aaron, whether you need us or not. Just know that you can ask. Always."

"Is it going to be easier one day?", Aaron asked Lina. She sighed.

"Easier? Yes, one day. It took me a long time to get there, it was after I got married to Stephen. Long after that. It's a slow process, Aaron. But one day, it'll get better. Not good, not completely. Maybe I haven't reached that point yet. Maybe it just never happens. But it gets better."

He actually smiled, silently thanking her. He had never been good with words.

One thing was still bothering him, though

"Do you, erm, do you really believe in what they tell us? In angels?"

"If you mean, do I believe that Theresa's father is now wearing green wings, is responsible for the weather and a major influence on me buying presents for her?", she smirked, "then the answer is no. But do I believe that he is still with us in some way? That he is taking care of her, protecting her? Yes, I believe in that. But not in angels."

"How can you be so sure of it?"

"I've had a few more years to think about it than you, Aaron. Shortly after his death, I've felt lost and alone. A part of me had died. But after a while...you know, you can't be grieving forever. One day, I got up and I just knew I had to go on with my life. That things had to change. It felt like waking up from a nightmare of which I thought it would be eternal. I started to notice things again. Like the influence my first husband had on my life. Sometimes, it was just simple things. The way certain pieces of furniture were placed in our house. Which part of the paper I read first, because he tended to start with another one. Or when I went for shopping, things I bought that I hadn't liked or known before, but started liking them during the time we had together. But most of all, he is Theresa's dad. He is a part of her. How could I not believe that he is still here? And besides of that all, I believe that love is stronger than death. That love is immortal. We have loved him, we still do. He has loved us. I know that we buried his body, but can we ever know what happens to the soul after we die? I believe that we can never leave the ones we love. He wouldn't have left us, he loved us far too much. Why would he go? That may sound confusing to you, but that's how I feel about it. I have no doubt that he is still here."

"I find it hard to believe in that. I just don't feel it, Lina."

"It takes time. And you don't have to believe in something. But it helps, Aaron. Whatever it is that you might believe in one day. It'll help. And I definitely feel better believing that her father is still here."

Jack came into his mind, on a night two weeks ago, sleeping peacefully. _I believe in changes._

*************

Jack had woken up in the car, protesting at first that he didn't get to say good night to Theresa, but had gotten over it fast when learning that he could see her again tomorrow afternoon.

However, now he was way too excited to go to sleep. Which was the reason why Aaron had stopped at the park, suggesting they would take a walk. Sun had set a few hours ago and Jack was overly excited about taking a walk in the dark. He couldn't wait to tell Theresa about it, which caused Aaron to chuckle, wondering what was more exciting for Jack, taking the walk or telling her about it.

Jack had told him about everything he had done today, every game he had been playing with Theresa. He had even been mentioning Emily for a few times but had become quiet pretty fast again. Aaron had figured out that he had been crying and breaking down yesterday, while he was in a meeting, but he wouldn't push him. When Jack felt ready to tell him he would do so.

Now they were lying down on the grass, Jack using his daddy's chest as a pillow, staring up into the sky.

"Daddy, which one is mommy's star?"

"What do you think, buddy? Do you see a star you like?"

"Mommy needs to like the star, daddy, not me."

"I'm sure mommy would have just liked the same star as you, buddy."

"Oh", Jack seemed surprised, "okay." His eyes scanned the sky until he finally pointed up. "This one, daddy."

Aaron looked up. It was new moon, so he couldn't be sure, but still he was wondering if it might be the same star he had thought of being Haley's two weeks ago.

"That's a very nice star, Jack. Your mommy will like it a lot."

Silence.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, buddy?"

"She is in heaven at night, but do you think she can see us now?"

Aaron turned to look into his son's eyes. "I'm sure she can. She always wants to see you, Jack."

"Do you think she liked the cake?"

"Of course, I think she really loved the cake."

"It wasn't purple."

"Mommy liked the cake because you helped making it."

"I only helped buying it, daddy. We didn't have time to make one."

"She still loved it."

"How do you know?", Jack asked suspiciously.

Aaron couldn't help but feel as if Jack wanted to test him, see if he was fine now and wouldn't cry anymore.

"She told me, buddy. She is always with us, remember?"

"Yes, daddy, I know that. It was a nice birthday. And a bit sad. I still miss her a lot, daddy", Jack said quietly.

"I miss her, too. And she misses you, Jack. But she is fine in heaven", Aaron said, not knowing where these words suddenly came from. Two weeks ago, Jack had been the one reassuring him. He felt that somehow, things were slowly starting to work the way they were supposed to be. He was the one comforting Jack. Just how it should be. He was more than grateful for it. Tomorrow, he would send flowers to Lina and Emily, not exactly knowing about everything they had done for Jack, but clearly deserving it. Much more than that, but he hadn't figured that out yet.

Jack watched his father who was deeply in thought and was happy that he didn't seem to be so sad today. He had learned about every kind of frown, knowing what it meant. The one that was on his face right now was a good frown.

He turned again to watch his mommy's star, blinking brightly, as if she wanted to say hello to him.

"Hello mommy", he whispered, "do you like the teddybear? And the card? I was very sad at first, because I didn't know how to give it to you, and I cried. Then I told Emily and she had a really good idea. Do you like the balloons? Theresa and Emily were sending their balloons to heaven, too. To Theresa's daddy and Emily's friend. She was very sad, too. But then I told her about angels and she said, I was helping her a lot." He smiled.

"Mommy, why do I have to tell grown- ups about angels? Why don't they know? Emily's friend was already in heaven for a very long time, she said, so she must have been very sad for a long, long time. She never knew he was still with her, mommy. I would be much more sad if I didn't know that you are here with me."

Jack looked over to his father who had closed his eyes, pretending not to listen.

"Daddy has fallen asleep, mommy. But he is waking up again. I hear him breathing. I still miss you very much, mommy. I wanted to cuddle you on your birthday. And even if I close my eyes, I know now that I can't really cuddle you. I was cuddling a lot with daddy and Aunty Jessica and Theresa and Theresa's mommy and daddy and Emily. They are very good at cuddling, but it's not the same. I really want to cuddle with you again, mommy", Jack said into the night, tears running over his face, while Aaron lay there in silent pain, knowing he couldn't interrupt this moment, that Jack needed to realize some things.

"I love you very much, mommy. You are the best mommy ever. And daddy had promised me that I don't need to have a new mommy. He is not crying so much anymore, because he knows now that you are still with us. I think, you have made him very happy, mommy."

Aaron couldn't take it anymore.

"You made me happy, Jack."

Jack nearly jumped. "Daddy! Did I wake you up?", he asked, already starting to feel sorry. Aaron ruffled his hair. "No, buddy. You didn't." Jack was relieved.

"I was talking to mommy, daddy. She likes the card a lot. And the teddybear. She says now she has something to cuddle with, cause she can't cuddle with me anymore."

Aaron felt his heart stop. "No one is as good at cuddling as your mommy was, I know Jack. She was really good at it."

"You are very good, too, daddy. I like cuddling with you very, very much. It's just different", he sighed. He would need to get used to it.

"Mommy told me to say thank you to everyone for taking care of me. To Theresa for being a very good friend. To her daddy for playing with me. To her mommy for buying the cake. To Emily for helping me with the presents. To Jessica for taking care of me when you are at work. And to you for being such a good daddy."

"Did she?", Aaron asked, tears in his eyes. Jack saw them and hugged his daddy.

"You are the best daddy in the world. I love you very, very much. Thank you for being such a good daddy."

"I can only be a good daddy because you are a wonderful son. The best in the world", he said, causing Jack to laugh happily.

"I love you, buddy", he added, kissing his son's forehead.

"I love you, too, daddy", Jack replied. "Can we go home now? I'm tired."

Aaron chuckled. "I was hoping you were." He gently lifted Jack up, who instantly snuggled into him. As he was carried to the car, Jack waved at his mommy's star. "Good night, mommy. I hope you liked your birthday. See you tomorrow", he murmured, before his eyes fell closed.

As Aaron carried his son into the bedroom and lay him on the bed, Jack opened his eyes again and sleepily stared at his father.

"Daddy?", he whispered, "will I ever see mommy again?"

How could he answer that? Aaron knew what he believed in. He also knew what Jack desperately wanted to hear. But in the end, there was just one answer to that question, one answer, that he could give and be sure of doing the right thing.

"I don't know, buddy. I don't know."

Jack kept staring, fighting with his tears. He didn't like this answer, but he could tell that his daddy was telling him the truth. Theresa had told him that she had asked her mommy and daddy, too and had received the same answer. Maybe no one knew.

He leant forward, tugging on his daddy's clothes and pulling him down on the bed next to him, so he could snuggle into his side.

Aaron wrapped his arms tightly around his son. _Will we ever see Haley again?_ That was something only time could tell. Looking at Jack, who was silently crying in his arms, he knew they both still had a long way to go. But eventually, things would change. Lina was right. Believing in something made it easier. They wouldn't wake up one day and everything would be fine. But maybe one day they would wake up and realize that their wounds had started healing. He knew that they already had, it had started the day Jack met Theresa, but they needed more time to feel the difference. Things would get better one day. And right now, that was all he could wish for. They would live. Day by day. With this thoughts in mind, Aaron went to sleep.

_**Thank you for reading.**_

_**It's done. I really hope you liked it. Please, please, please review. **_


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